Mersin

What it's known for

Mersin is a major Mediterranean port that has served the Çukurova region since the mid-19th century. Beside the port is the Mersin Free Zone, set up in 1986 as the first free zone in Türkiye, and the land around the city grows citrus fruit, cotton, bananas and olives.

Fun facts

1. The city is named after a myrtle plant that grows in abundance in the area, called mersin in Turkish.
2. At the Yumuktepe mound in Mersin, archaeologists found 23 layers of settlement, the oldest from about 6300 BC.
3. The city's best-known dish is tantuni, a hot wrap of thin strips of lamb stir-fried on a metal griddle.